Brunswick Corporation

Charles A Lubitz

Matthew W Snyder

David M Van Buren

Brett Bielefeld

Mitchell J Baer

A method for shifting a multi-speed transmission of a marine propulsion device from a first gear being engaged to a second gear being engaged by selectively filling a first clutch and a second clutch with a fluid. The method includes operating the marine propulsion device with the second gear disengaged and controlling the second clutch to perform a first prefill in which fluid is injected into the second clutch to partially fill the second clutch while the second gear remains disengaged. The method further includes receiving, after the first prefill, a request to shift from the first gear to the second gear and subsequently increasing a pressure in the second clutch to cause the second gear to engage and decreasing a pressure in the first clutch to cause the first gear to disengage to thereby shift the multi-speed transmission.

Systems and methods for shifting a multi-speed transmission

A method for controlling a valve to disengage a gear in a transmission. The method includes reducing, after receiving a request to disengage the gear, a current supplied to the valve from a starting to a first current. The method further includes counting a first elapsed time since the valve was reduced to the first current, comparing the first elapsed time to a first wait time, and increasing the current supplied to the valve to a second current once the first elapsed time exceeds the first wait time. The method further includes counting a second elapsed time since the valve was increased to the second current, comparing the second elapsed time to a second wait time, and reducing the current supplied to the valve to a third current once the second elapsed exceeds the second wait time. The valve is closed when the current is the third current.

Systems and methods for controlling transmission valves in a marine propulsion device

A method for synchronizing shifting of transmissions across marine propulsion devices. The method includes receiving a signal to shift the transmissions and identifying a predetermined shifting time for each of the transmissions, where the predetermined shifting time represents an elapsed time between starting the shifting and completing the shifting. The method further includes comparing the predetermined shifting times to determine a longest shifting time, calculating for each of the transmissions an offset time that is a difference between the corresponding predetermined shifting time and the longest shifting time, and sending a signal to start the shifting of each of the transmissions after waiting the offset time for that transmission such that the transmissions all complete the shifting at the same time.

Growing community of inventors

Fond du Lac, WI, United States of America

Charles A Lubitz